An organ donor can save seven lives: A full guide to this noble pledge
Organ donation is a life-saving medical intervention that has the power to transform lives. In India, the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) regulates, coordinates and promotes organ donation and transplantation. Dr Anant Kumar, chairman, urology, kidney transplant and robotics, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, New Delhi, explains the humanity and technicalities of pledging your organs to save someone's life.Organ donation can be categorised into two types: living organ donation and cadaveric (deceased) organ donation.advertisementLIVING ORGAN DONATIONA healthy individual voluntarily donates an organ/tissue to a recipient in need. This is possible because some organs/tissues can be donated without significantly affecting the donor's health.
The most commonly donated organs are kidney, liver, lung, pancreas, intestine, tissues (bone, skin). However, in clinical practice, only one kidney and part of the liver are donated.CADAVERIC (DECEASED) ORGAN DONATIONCadaveric donation takes place when a person is declared dead, either due to cardiac death or brain death. In such cases, multiple organs and tissues can be retrieved and transplanted to patients in need.Organs and tissues that can be donated after death are heart, lung, liver, kidneys, pancreas, intestine, cornea (to restore vision), skin (for burn patients), heart valves, bones, tendons and ligaments.BRAIN DEATH AND ORGAN DONATIONadvertisementBrain death is a state in which a person has permanently lost all brain functions and reflexes, but their heart can still beat with medical support. Once brain death occurs, the body cannot survive. Some children, though, can survive with life support for 3-4 days.A team of independent doctors perform a series of clinical tests to confirm brain death. The process follows strict guidelines under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA), 1994 in India.The key criteria are:Absent brainstem reflexes: No response to light, pain or other stimuli.Apnea test: The patient is unable to breathe without ventilator support.Loss of consciousness: No activity in the brain, confirmed through EEG.Once brain death is confirmed, the family is counselled about organ donation. If consent is given, organ retrieval is performed while the body is on artificial support to maintain circulation.ROLE OF NOTTONOTTO, operating under the Union ministry of health and family welfare, is responsible for regulation and coordination of organ donation, organ distribution and transplantation in India. Its functions are:Maintaining a database of patients awaiting transplants and allocating organs based on medical urgency and compatibility.Working with hospitals, state authorities and transplant organisations to facilitate organ retrieval and distribution.Conducting educational programmes promoting organ donations.Ensuring ethical and legal guidelines are followed.Preventing illegal organ trade and enforcing THOTA.PROCESS OF ORGAN DONATIONadvertisementFor living donation, the donor undergoes a comprehensive medical evaluation, including psychological counselling, to ensure they are fit for donation. Once found eligible, the organ is surgically retrieved and transplanted into the recipient.For cadaveric donation, the patient is declared brain dead following strict medical protocols. Consent is thereby obtained from the family. The hospital informs NOTTO or a transplant organisation about the available organs. The organ allocation process takes place based on urgency and compatibility. Organs are retrieved and transported under sterile conditions to the recipient's hospital.EVERY ORGAN DONOR IS A HEROWith increasing awareness, better medical facilities and strong regulatory bodies like NOTTO, more people can be encouraged to become donors. Families of brain-dead individuals should consider organ donation as a way to give life even in death. By dispelling myths, legal hurdles and ethical challenges, India can progress towards a more efficient and compassionate organ donation system.Please donate your organs after death. You don't need organs in heaven. You can pledge organ donation now and let your family and friends know your wish. It will help them in taking a decision after your death. Be an organ donor and save up to seven lives.advertisementSubscribe to India Today Magazine
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
5 hours ago
- Mint
Centre moves to enhance organ transplant services in govt hospitals after review shows capacity constraints
New Delhi: The Union government is preparing to help public hospitals perform more organ transplants after a review showed only a fourth of the 18,000 transplants in 2023 were done by them. The health ministry has completed a 2023 assessment of all government institutions with a license for organ transplants and it is now in the process of reconciling last year's data. A lack of medical expertise and dedicated ICU beds for transplant patients have been identified as the main stumbling blocks. Around 90 government hospitals have a license to conduct organ transplants – a procedure that is expensive in private hospitals but within the reach of the poor in government ones. Also read: Experts call for tracking source, transmission of new covid cases Organ donation guidelines are given in the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 and the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Rules, 2014. These are monitored and regulated by the National Organ Tissue and Transplant Organization (Notto). 'Right now, Notto is assessing the government institutions having the license to conduct organ transplant procedures. This is being done because these centres are under-performing. More than 90 institutions have valid licenses from state government authorities to conduct the organ transplants. The central government is trying to understand where are the gaps and what are the challenges hospitals are facing and where things need to be strengthened and improved," said a senior government official familiar with the matter, requesting anonymity. India faces a massive shortage of organs for transplants because of cultural reasons and a general lack of awareness, although the number of transplants has significantly increased from 4,990 in 2013 to 18,378 in 2023. It stood at 14,155 between January and September, 2024. However, around 75% of these transplants took place in private hospitals in 2023. Also read: Centre asks states to ramp up healthcare preparedness as covid cases rise Capacity issues identified The health ministry has held wide consultations with hospital authorities from all over the country to discuss the matter. The last such meeting was held on Wednesday and involved all government transplant hospitals from states and UTs. 'We found major issues with the hospitals like lack of training of the medical experts to perform organ transplants, unavailability of trained doctors, and lack of ICU beds for transplant patients among others. We are also reconciling the transplant data shared by government hospitals to verify the number of transplants these hospitals are doing. We are exploring ways and means to see how we can increase the capacities of government hospitals," the official said adding that in the future some of the best performing hospitals can give training to the other hospitals. Some of the better performing government institutions include: AII India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS-New Delhi), Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), Safdarjung Hospital, RML hospital, Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre, PGI Chandigarh. 'There is no point in issuing new licenses to the institutions, until the existing ones are running properly. We are trying to strengthen the capacities of the government hospitals for both living donors and deceased organ transplants because there is a huge waiting list in hospitals," said the second official. Despite having the largest population in the world, the organ donation rate in India is less than 1 per million population. Spain, has the world's highest organ donation rate at around 48 per million population. Also read: Malayalam film actor Shine Tom Chacko's father dies in road accident in near Bengaluru, filmstar hospitalised In 2023, the union government launched guidelines for organ transportation to ensure a uniform organ transport policy. A person after his death can give new life to up to 8 people by donating vital organs such as kidney, liver, lung, heart, pancreas and intestines and improve the quality life of many more by donating tissues like cornea, skin, bone, heart valve etc. Queries sent to the health ministry remained unanswered till press time.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Hindustan Times
Make a vow to reduce salt, processed food , says JP Nadda on World Food Safety day
On this World Food Safety Day, every Indian must make a vow to reduce salt intake, processed food as well as 10 per cent of oil consumption, said Jagat Prakash Nadda, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare on Saturday. According to him, it is our collective responsibility to spread awareness about eating the right food. Nadda was addressing an event organised to celebrate World Food Safety Day by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru. World Food Safety Day is celebrated on June 7 of every year. "We should take the clarion call given by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and see to it that at least in our own homes, we are able to reduce 10 per cent of oil consumption and salt consumption. This is the most necessary part. We also have to see to it that processed foods are reduced to the maximum," said Nadda. He also said to remain healthy and to eat right, India must revisit its traditional food practices. "Our traditional food includes many types of preparations with millets. We have to revive this tradition," he added. Nadda also said health consciousness and the Eat Right Movement are imperative as obesity is spreading fast in India. "India's diabetes study by ICMR says that from 2008 to 2020, the obesity in urban India has increased by 39.6 per cent and in rural areas, it has increased by 23.1% per cent. It is also projected that by 2050, 1/3 of the population will be obese," said Nadda, adding that time to act is now. During the event, Nadda also released a booklet called 'Eat Right India'. Sanjay Kumar, Secretary of Department of School Education and Literacy, who addressed the gathering via video conferencing, explained how the science of eating right has become a part of National Council for Education, Research and Training's curriculum.
India Gazette
a day ago
- India Gazette
"We can control any situation": Gujarat Health Minister calls Omicron 'not serious', says all arrangements in place
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 7 (ANI): Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel on Saturday noted that the state is fully prepared for COVID-19, with all arrangements including beds, ventilators, and ICU facilities in place, adding that the current Omicron variant is not very serious and does not seem to cause significant harm or death. Speaking to reporters, Minister Rushikesh Patel said, 'This Omicron virus is a virus of the Covid family, but it is not so serious. Varieties of this virus do not seem to cause any harm or death. But we have made all our arrangements, all beds, ventilators, and ICU beds. We can control any situation.' However, the Gujarat Health Minister urged pregnant women and patients with comorbidities to take care of themselves and advised anyone showing symptoms like cold, fever, or cough to seek treatment, stressing that the current rise in cases feels like a wave but is not severe. 'The cases that are increasing here happen many times in a year, so it seems like a wave has come. So my request is that pregnant women and patients with comorbidities should take care of themselves. And if someone has a cold, fever, cough, any such symptoms, then they should get themselves wave that is going on right now is not so serious,' the Health Minister said. As of June 7, 2025, at 8 AM, India reported 5755 active COVID-19 cases, while the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reports 717 active cases in Gujarat. There have been 102 new COVID-19 cases in Gujarat since yesterday, with two deaths since January 1. According to the Union Health Ministry's data, 59 deaths have been reported since January 1, 2025. States have been instructed to ensure oxygen availability, isolation beds, ventilators, and essential medicines. Given the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in India, a series of technical review meetings were held on June 2 and 3 with various representatives under the chairpersonship of Dr Sunita Sharma, Director General of Health Services (DGHS). According to an official statement, the representatives include Disaster Management Cell, Emergency Management Response (EMR) Cell, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) and Central Government Hospitals in Delhi and with representatives from all States and UTs to evaluate the current COVID-19 situation and preparedness measures. (ANI)
